U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,841 to Kuratomi, et al., discloses methods and apparatus for moxibustion (burning herbs on the skin to treat ailments) in which a heat generating pyrogen heats and vaporizes an herbal material that is adjacent to the skin so that the herbal vapor is absorbed through the skin. The pyrogen contains carbon and various chemicals, but the pyrogen is separated from the herbal material by a non permeable material so that only vapors from the herbal material come into contact with the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,652 to Rose, et al., discloses a patch adapted for transdermal administration of nicotine into the bloodstream of a patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,319 to Osipow, et al., discloses a process for preparing a propellant for forming foamed structures which uses various materials including certain minerals, the foamed structures being usable to apply medicaments to the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 536,707 to Smith discloses a depurator that drives steam through a medicated material and then into a cabinet into which a patient is placed.
U.S. Pat. No. 763,765 to Johnson discloses a cabinet in which fumes arising from medicaments are contained and directed to parts of the body to be treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,036 to Schwab discloses a device for holding cartridges of chemical or mineral media in contact with a patient's skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,491 to Fischer discloses a portable chamber that permits the localized treatment, with low pressure oxygen, of non-healing ulcerations or lacerations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,579 to Trammell discloses a hyperbaric oxygenation apparatus with cyclically variable oxygen pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,548 to Kaiho, et al., discloses thermally diffusible composites of medicines, including insecticides, attractants, expellents, rodenticides, cockroachicides and fungicides, using carbonaceous materials and alkali metal compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,905 to Feit discloses a method and apparatus for dispersing a volatilizable compound in an environment, especially a heat-stable volatile fragrance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,676 to Peck discloses a sweat collecting device for monitoring chemical exposures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,425 to Denick, Jr., et al., discloses a medicament adsorbate for masking the taste of bitter drug principles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,727 to Allen discloses a method to increase the ability of skin to absorb topically applied pharmacologically active agents while reducing the speed with which the agent is absorbed into the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,119 to Shiobara, et al., discloses an external preparation capable of controlling the release rate and percutaneous absorbability of a drug.